1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multi-radio devices utilizing wireless communication methods, and more particularly, to battery-operated devices selectively utilizing both low power and high power wireless communication radios to manage varying data packet communications.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication methods, whether wired or wireless, such as Wi-Fi™, are not conducive for use in battery-powered devices because of their higher power demands. When used in battery-powered devices, these communication methods are typically used in a restrictive fashion in order to conserve battery life, thus limiting their host device's functionality. The use of low power radio technologies, such as Z-wave® or Zigbee, drastically improves battery life, allowing for more product feature exposure. However, these low power radio technologies are also very bandwidth limited. They are very good for sending small-sized data packets but are not capable of handling large amounts of data, such as audio or video, efficiently. Likewise, using a higher power interface to handle small data packets is very inefficient with respect to battery life.
Therefore, a need exists for a means to utilize a low power radio technology to manage a higher power communication interface in a battery-powered multi-radio host device, which will aid in conserving battery life while managing bandwidth efficiently.